Give Malik another chance, says Inzamam

Karachi, Dec 31 (IANS) Former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq did a U-turn on his comments about Shoaib Malik’s captaincy and now feels that he is the best person to lead the side.Inzamam had criticised Malik for his inadequate captaincy skills last month, but told a daily Wednesday that the young all-rounder deserves another chance to prove his credentials as captain.

Inzamam said wednesday that Pakistan did not play a single Test in 2008 and so it is not right to judge Malik’s captaincy.

“It is in Test matches that the real worth of a captain gets displayed,” Inzamam was quoted as saying in the daily Jang.

“Pakistan has failed to win a single Test with Malik as captain but then they have just played five with him in-charge,” said Inzamam.

Under Malik, Pakistan lost the home Test series against South Africa 0-1 last year and then suffered a similar series defeat in India. The last time Pakistan won a Test was in Jan 2007, when Inzamam led a stunning triumph over the Proteas in Port Elizabeth. But Pakistan went on to lose the series 1-2.

Inzamam said that Malik doesn’t have all the ingredients required to become a successful captain but was quick to add that Pakistan have no other options.

“Mohammad Yousuf is unavailable for national duty while Younis Khan is not interested in captaincy. That is why instead of experimenting with anybody else, Pakistan should give Malik another opportunity,” he said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is all set to extend Malik’s stint by one year. The decision is likely to be announced within a week.